Definition of touch

• v. t. - To come in contact with; to hit or strike lightly against; to extend the hand, foot, or the like, so as to reach or rest on.
• v. t. - To perceive by the sense of feeling.
• v. t. - To come to; to reach; to attain to.
• v. t. - To try; to prove, as with a touchstone.
• v. t. - To relate to; to concern; to affect.
• v. t. - To handle, speak of, or deal with; to treat of.
• v. t. - To meddle or interfere with; as, I have not touched the books.
• v. t. - To affect the senses or the sensibility of; to move; to melt; to soften.
• v. t. - To mark or delineate with touches; to add a slight stroke to with the pencil or brush.
• v. t. - To infect; to affect slightly.
• v. t. - To make an impression on; to have effect upon.
• v. t. - To strike; to manipulate; to play on; as, to touch an instrument of music.
• v. t. - To perform, as a tune; to play.
• v. t. - To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly.
• v. t. - To harm, afflict, or distress.
• v. t. - To affect with insanity, especially in a slight degree; to make partially insane; -- rarely used except in the past participle.
• v. t. - To be tangent to. See Tangent, a.
• a. - To lay a hand upon for curing disease.
• v. i. - To be in contact; to be in a state of junction, so that no space is between; as, two spheres touch only at points.
• v. i. - To fasten; to take effect; to make impression.
• v. i. - To treat anything in discourse, especially in a slight or casual manner; -- often with on or upon.
• v. i. - To be brought, as a sail, so close to the wind that its weather leech shakes.
• v. - The act of touching, or the state of being touched; contact.
• v. - The sense by which pressure or traction exerted on the skin is recognized; the sense by which the properties of bodies are determined by contact; the tactile sense. See Tactile sense, under Tactile.
• v. - Act or power of exciting emotion.
• v. - An emotion or affection.
• v. - Personal reference or application.
• v. - A stroke; as, a touch of raillery; a satiric touch; hence, animadversion; censure; reproof.
• v. - A single stroke on a drawing or a picture.
• v. - Feature; lineament; trait.
• v. - The act of the hand on a musical instrument; bence, in the plural, musical notes.
• v. - A small quantity intermixed; a little; a dash.
• v. - A hint; a suggestion; slight notice.
• v. - A slight and brief essay.
• v. - A touchstone; hence, stone of the sort used for touchstone.
• v. - Hence, examination or trial by some decisive standard; test; proof; tried quality.
• v. - The particular or characteristic mode of action, or the resistance of the keys of an instrument to the fingers; as, a heavy touch, or a light touch; also, the manner of touching, striking, or pressing the keys of a piano; as, a legato touch; a staccato touch.
• v. - The broadest part of a plank worked top and but (see Top and but, under Top, n.), or of one worked anchor-stock fashion (that is, tapered from the middle to both ends); also, the angles of the stern timbers at the counters.
• n. - That part of the field which is beyond the line of flags on either side.
• n. - A boys' game; tag.